Bachelor's Party
by Rei Kiri
Summary: Cheesy pick up lines are always a bad idea.


_**A/N:** Yeah I know I'm not around too much... but times are really busy.. I do try though. _

_Anyway, this one was actually my gift as a part of the RoyEd gift exchange on tumblr :) It was based on a prompt by OTPpromps on tumblr._

 _I hope you guys enjoy it!_

* * *

 **Bachelor's Party**

.

"Another round please!"

Ed eyed Thomas, his eyes already bright with booze. He already had quite a few drinks and was feeling their weight in his body, and on his thinking capacity. Usually he didn't like drinking to this amount, but tonight was different. Tonight he was not supposed to stay in control. No, tonight wasn't even about him, but it meant a lot to him. No; tonight was probably one of the happiest of his life.

Five glasses were placed in front of them, and Ed pushed each of them towards a member of their party. First, of course, was Alphonse; he was the guest of honour, and deserved to be the first. Then Thomas and Adam, Alphonse's friends from school, and William, who was his colleague in his internship. Then Edward took the last one to himself. The liquid inside was clear, unrecognized. He'd had a few shots of that already and he was pretty sure someone already mentioned a name, but it didn't stick. It didn't matter anymore anyway, he could taste nothing already three shots ago.

He raised the tumbler. "To Al," he started, turning to face Alphonse, who was practically beaming. Well, it was his right. Alphonse turned to look at Ed. He was the essence of happiness and there was nothing that could make Ed happier than seeing his little brother occupying his flesh and bone body, healthy and happy. A huge smile spread on his lips at this thought. "Who's about to start the greatest adventure of his life – which means a hell of a lot, after all the shit we went through as kids – and I don't think anyone deserves this kind of happy ending more than you do – "

"Brother! Don't say that you too –"

"Shush! I'm toasting for you," this earned him a wave of laughter from the guys. Ed ignored it. "So as I was saying – you're about to start the greatest adventure of your life, and I honestly can't think of a more perfect couple than you and Winry. After all, it's been written ever since we were little kids. You won, got first price, and you rightfully earned it. I am one hundred percent sure you two will make each other the happiest people alive. I know a month before the actual event is a little early for a bachelor party, but our guest of honour seems to be really busy," Ed paused, chuckling at the somewhat scolding look his brother was giving him. "But it doesn't matter. A celebration is a celebration. To Al and Winry!"

"To Al and Winry!" repeated the others, and they all downed their drinks. With this being the fifth – or sixth? – round, Ed could barely feel the sting of the drink as it flowed down his throat. He just felt the bitter aftertaste at the back of his mouth, the alcohol already taking effect in his head, making him feel lighter and heavier all at the same time.

"So, Al, already know where you guys are going for your honeymoon?" asked William. He pushed his empty glass a little farther from himself, joining it to the bunch of empty glasses already standing at the middle of their table, a proof of a night at a bar done right.

Ed pushed his own glass as well, adding it to the already impressive display on the table, before he looked up at his little brother. Alphonse looked a little nervous at the question – or maybe it was just a trick of the light.

"I – we haven't really thought about it yet, actually."

"But the wedding's in one month, you gotta start planning!" Said Thomas.

Alphonse chuckled. "A month is a really long time. I'm still on my internship, we won't be able to leave until the holiday vacation starts, so we still have almost two months to think about it."

"Should've just taken a vacation off your internship if you ask me, it's not every day you get married you know – "

"Yeah, but I didn't ask you, Thomas," Alphonse cut into his friend's words, a wide smile on his lips. "For us it's just the natural course of life, you know? So we don't really feel the fuss over it. I promise not to say a thing when you get married and choose to skip work for your honeymoon, alright?" All five men laughed, and a few seconds later the bartender arrived. With one gesture from Al he was on his way to get them another round.

Ed watched the dance of the bartender's hands, skilfully pulling out five shot glasses and pouring the clear liquid into them. For a fleeting second Ed couldn't stop himself from thinking about what that guy must have thought to himself, working in such a place and watching people losing their senses every night. The things this guy must have been a witness to – people partying, people attempting to down their pain in liquor, people breaking up and people hooking up. A bar must have been a very interesting place to work at.

A movement at the corner of his field of view caught Ed's attention, and he moved his stare from the bartender's hands to the door to see a man walking in, alone. An umbrella still open over his hear blocked Ed's sight, hiding the man's face from him, but even without seeing a face there was still something about that man that made him keep looking at him. He waited for him to close the umbrella and turn towards him so he could see –

"There you go, gentlemen," the voice of the bartender tore Edward's attention away, and he now noticed that in front of him were five full tumblers. The other four guys already took theirs. Ed couldn't help but glance in the direction that man was standing at, but he was no longer there. He turned back, took the last glass, and raised it, like the rest of them.

"To Al!" Called Thomas, and they clicked their glasses together before they downed the drink. It no longer burnt its way down his throat, now only giving him a slight warm feeling instead. Ed was really starting to feel it going to his head, giving him a light feeling. Thomas, Adam and William started talking about the wedding, making jokes and teasing. Edward found himself glancing around the bar again, looking for that man, even though somewhere underneath the effects of the alcohol he knew there was no way he was going to recognize him without even knowing his face, and that even if he did, he still didn't know if he would even like this man after seeing his face and, lastly, he wasn't going to abandon his own brother's bachelor party to hit on some guy he didn't even know.

"He's right over there," Ed could hear Alphonse's voice, quiet, yet not enough so to be swallowed by the loudness of the place.

He turned his eyes towards his brother. "What are you talking about?"

"That guy you were staring at. He's right there," he pointed, and Ed could help but follow the gesture. He was right. There he was, sitting all by himself with a glass of something that looked like whiskey, just there on the other side of the bar.

Realizing he was staring again, Edward turned his eyes back to his younger sibling. "I was not staring at him," he said defensively, but even he knew he was not convincing. Well, there was always the chance that his brother was just as drunk and would not notice. But of course he did. Alphonse always noticed everything. He even noticed Ed's preferences before Ed himself had the courage to admit it to himself, back when he was fifteen and still a dog of the military. He could remember how he got uneasy every time Mustang was in the same room with him. He thought it was fear, but soon enough his body wasn't leaving him any room for doubt. It took him a while, but eventually he decided to tell his brother about his feelings. He was scared that Al was going to be disgusted with him, that he'd think he was some kind of a pervert; but instead of getting scolded he was met with a knowing smile that more or less said 'so what's the news?' and a simple 'yeah, okay' from his brother. Occasionally, he would tease him, but Edward knew it was always only in good spirits. Much like Edward liked to tease Alphonse about Winry, after they got their bodies back. When he left the military he managed to forget about his little crush, and after a while, as he and Alphonse were travelling again – Alphonse for his medical school to Xing, where he focused on alkahestry and ways to combine it with Amestrian alchemy; and Edward just because he found himself unable to sit still – he was starting to live his life, and even managed to fall in love a few times. All his relationships ended eventually, and when Alphonse was back in Amestris to start his internship at a medical center, and announced his engagement to Winry, Ed came back, deciding to settle in Eastern, when he could still enjoy the big city life he found himself the most comfortable with and still be close to his brother and best friend – now his sister-in-law-to-be. He actually liked the life in Eastern, finding a job in a small lab as a researcher. The theory of alchemy still fascinated him, even if he couldn't practice it anymore.

"If that guy was a sun you'd be blind by now Brother. He looks cute. Go ahead and talk to him."

"I'm not going to talk to him – "

"Hey, what are you two whispering about?" Ed could feel the weight of an arm adding on his shoulder, and seconds later William's face appeared just by his own.

"Nothing – "

"Ed fancies a guy but won't go talking to him."

"Oooh I see!" called William, immediately looking around. "Who? I wanna see him too!"

"No one – "

"Just that guy over there," Alphonse gestured again with his head. Ed felt like choking him.

William looked at the stranger's direction, and so did the other two, noticing the conversation and joining in.

"Hmm. Can't see him really, you know, too dark in here and all, but I think he's sitting alone there. Why won't you go?"

"Because – well – I'm with you guys –"

"Sure we could spare you for a few minutes."

"And I think it'd be nice if you had someone to warm you up. Winter's coming and all, you know." Adam shrugged.

"Will, the winter's already here, didn't you see the rain?" Thomas joined in.

"Oh, right. Well, see? Even more important that – "

"I don't need someone to warm me up, I'm good."

"Aww, don't be like that, brother. Come on, go and talk to him!"

"I don't want – "

"Go! I dare you to go and start a conversation with that guy. Get his number and I'll get you whatever drink you want from the bar," Thomas winked at him.

He wasn't going to get out of this, Ed already knew that. There was simply no way he was going to get out of it, and the lightness in his head was getting stronger. Really, what's the worst that could happen? The guy will say no? Ignore him? He'd dealt with much worse situations in the past.

He slid off his chair, feeling the blush in his face at the cheers of their little group. "Fine," he said, and received a pat on his back as he turned towards the other side of the bar, where that mysterious man still drank his drink, sitting alone. Decisively he started walking, his mind racing trying to figure out what on earth he was going to say, a thought that freaked him out the closer he got to his destination.

By the time he found himself standing right behind that broad, inviting back, Ed found that his mind was completely empty. He could feel the weight of his brother and their friends' eyes on him. Well, there was no turning back now.

Taking a deep breath, he tapped on the man's shoulder, trying to put on his most alluring face. Fuck, he was so out of practice. He blurted the first thing that came to his mind.

"Hey, d'you know your body is made of about sixty five percent of water, and I'm totally thirsty?"

The man turned towards him. "Actually, usually it's closer to seventy percent, and most of it is in your body cells, so I don't know how easy that is to drink."

Ed watched as the man turned, surprised to find how excited he was to see the stranger's face –

The moment he could see the man's features, Edward could barely keep his jaw in place. Panic rose in him, and he felt his cheeks burning with shame.

The man looking at him right now was no other than his former commanding officer, Roy Mustang.

He wanted to run away. Or for the earth to swallow him. Or _anything_ that would make the current situation go away. He'd just hit on his former boss. A man who made his life miserable – in more than one way, as after the point in Ed's life when he realized he was not, in fact, attracted to girls like most of his male companions, he also realized just how stunning his commander was – but that he was also more than ten years older than him, and a complete jerk.

He could feel Mustang's eyes on him, checking him out. With every second passing Ed felt more like he would prefer to run away than stand here, but he found himself unable to move.

It was only a few seconds – forever – later that the silence between them was broken.

"Fancy seeing you here, Fullmetal. And with such a warm welcome, too," a smirk was spread on the older man's lips, reminding Ed of what it was like to be a teenager with his hormones running crazy, being forced to be around a man as attractive as Mustang. He hasn't changed at all in the five years Ed didn't see him. Maybe he became even more attractive.

He lowered his eyes and turned his face away, not wanting his former commander to see he was blushing. It was probably way too late by now, but he was going to try, anyway. "Not Fullmetal anymore, Mustang. And I didn't know it was you," he said, trying to make his voice as cold as possible. He was terrified at how shaky it actually was.

"I wonder how warmly you would have greeted me had you known it was me, considering how friendly you were when you did not."

"I would've never – "

"I know, I know. Relax. I am no longer your commanding officer, you don't need to look so tense. I'm not going to ask you to write any paperwork or scold you. Do you want to have a seat? I think this one's available," Mustang gestured to the seat right next to him. Ed looked at it for a short moment, confused. Why was Mustang being so friendly to him now? He was used to a cold, sarcastic man who spent most of his time avoiding actually doing his work and finding new and more annoying ways to tease him; not to… this.

Hesitating, Ed took the seat offered.

"What do you drink? Is whiskey okay or would you like something else?"

Ed stared at the other man for a second, trying to figure out what exactly was happening. But his mind was still hazy, and he found it difficult to think straight. He looked away, still feeling terribly uneasy. "Whatever. Whiskey's fine."

"Good. Hey, bartender!" he could hear Mustang calling, and a moment later the older man was ordering them both a whiskey on the rocks. The bartender left, and next thing Edward knew was the feeling of dark eyes gazing at him. "So what are you doing in such a place?" Mustang asked him, and from the corner of his eye Ed could see him finishing what was left in his glass before he pushed it a little farther from him.

"Uhm," Ed started, wondering how he should answer that question. He thought about it for a second before settling on saying the truth. "I'm here for a bachelor party. Uh, Al's getting married. Next month." Ed found himself involuntarily smiling as he said that. No amount of shame, or embarrassment, could erase how happy he actually was. It was even making the awkward conversation easy.

The bartender reappeared, placing to glasses in front of them. Mustang paid him, and he left, going to attend other customers. Ed muttered a thanks, but he was not sure he was heard. "Alphonse's getting married? Congratulations! To whom?"

"To Winry, actually."

"Winry?" Mustang reached for one of the tumblers, taking it in his hand and giving it a little twirl before he took a small sip. "That's interesting. Good for him. You're probably really excited, aren't you?"

Edward's smile broadened. "Hell yes. He deserves it. They deserve it. I'm really happy for them," he replied before he took the second glass, taking a sip with no ceremonies. He was never the kind of man who liked these things. Alcohol was there in order to get him drunk; as far as he was concerned, it had no other purpose. "Why is it so interesting? I think it's really… you know. The most natural thing."

He saw the other man smiling against the edge of his glass before he put it down, his hand still holding it. "Because… Well, actually, everyone in the office were sure you and Winry were going to end up together. Everyone thought it was obvious that you liked her, and that she liked you, but I guess we were all wrong."

"Winry and I? That's ridiculous," Ed found himself actually managing to relax. He was no longer feeling as if he was talking to his former commanding officer, but to a friend. Maybe it was the whiskey, adding even more alcohol to his system.

"Hmm. Obviously so, as I can tell from your lovely greeting."

Scratch that. Edward's cheeks were burning again, and he gulped the rest of his drink in the hope it would make him feel better. It did not. "Fuck," he managed, placing the now empty glass back on the counter. He almost managed to forget that stupid, idiotic thing he'd done. Why did he have to go and listen to his brother and to their friends? And if he already did that – because they really didn't seem to want to back off from that – why did he have to go and use the stupidest line he could've come up with? What was wrong with just a simple 'hi'? "I'm sorry, really didn't know it was you – "

"Don't worry about it," Mustang said, his voice still easy. Relaxed. He was probably going to make fun of it forever, Ed thought. They sat in tensed silence for a few more seconds before the older man spoke again. "I actually wanted to ask you," he said, voice no longer as light as it sounded before. His tone seemed somewhat lower, and he was speaking in a quieter voice. Ed found it hard to hear him over the loud noise of other people talking. "Did you mean that?"

"What? Of course not, how could I actually mean to say something like that? No one would actually want to – fuck – to _drink_ someone – "

Mustang chuckled. "Of course not, but that wasn't my question." He paused, as if considering his words. Ed couldn't help but look up, accidentally meeting the other man's dark eyes as he was looking at him. He could feel his face going even a darker shade of red, if that was even possible. He could only hope it was too dark in here to see. "I meant, were you really trying to make a move on me?"

"Well, like I said, I had no idea it was you – "

"I wouldn't say no if you did."

Edward almost chocked. He wondered if it was the noise around them or the booze but he definitely wasn't hearing right. "What?"

"I am saying that if you were going to make a move on me, I wouldn't refuse you. You've grown into quite a handsome man, Edward."

Ed blinked. This felt surreal; it was like a high school reunion, meeting the hottest boy from class, now suddenly returning and saying he liked you, after years of being nothing more than a farfetched dream. "I – uh – thank you?" was all he managed to say; he regretted it as the words left his lips. Thank you? Was that all he could come up with?

"I would, of course, understand if you would like to take it back, now that you've seen it is actually me. I know we had rough times back when you were working under me, and there's the age difference issue. But just in case you mean it, I wanted to let you know."

Ed had no idea what to say. Hell, he had no idea what to think, either. Was Roy Mustang just telling him he wouldn't mind dating him? For real? "Uh…" he started, but he had no idea what to say. A part of him screamed at him to quit the bullshit and accept the offer; hell, it screamed at him to just let everything go and _show_ him. However, another part of him, the part that still wasn't controlled by alcohol, insisted that it was insanity. True, he had a crush on that man since he was sixteen. Maybe a little bit earlier. But he was still saw him as a commanding officer. And then there was the painfully obvious difference in their ages. But if Roy didn't mind it…

"I see," said the other man, his hand playing with his half empty glass. "Don't worry about it. You can just forget I offered if you want, no hard feelings."

The sound of the words made Ed realize his thinking time was over. That he was about to miss his only chance at something he wanted for almost eight years by now, even though he managed to suppress it for the most of that time.

No. There was no way he was going to miss it.

"I didn't say I didn't want to," he said, fixing his stare on the empty glass in his hand. "I – uh – actually, would really _not_ like to take it back." He built up the courage to look up at the other man, surprised to see a smile on his face. It was mesmerizing.

"That's good, then," said Roy. "I'm very happy to hear that. In that case, I think maybe a date would be a good idea."

A date. With Roy Mustang. Could this really be real? "I – yeah, it is, probably."

Roy glanced behind Edward's back. He suddenly remembered that his brother and friends were still there. Probably monitoring every move, trying to guess what was going on. Ed suddenly realized he was probably sitting here for longer than he had initially intended. Oh, hell, he really didn't want to face them when he walked back, knowing he will be teased, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

"Your brother's probably really missing you right now, so maybe today isn't a good idea. But… hmm. Are you in town tomorrow?"

Ed tore himself from his fears about what was waiting for him once he left this seat and returned to his party. He nodded. "I actually live here, so yeah."

Roy's eyebrows arched up in surprise. "You live here? Well, I guess that makes things easier. So… are you free tomorrow evening?"

"Yeah…"

"Good. Would you like to have dinner with me then? I heard about a really good place somewhere around here – "

"Mm. That Sam's place?"

"Yes, actually."

Ed smiled. The tension was leaving him. Somehow, this suddenly felt so easy. He wasn't scared he was just being made fun of anymore. He actually started to think that this might be real. That this is actually happening. "Yeah, it is good. We could go there, sure."

Roy smiled back. "Is seven alright?"

"Seven's perfect."

"I'll see you there then. Now, I think your brother's probably going to be mad at you that you've left his party for so long."

Ed glanced behind his back. The other four were still there, seemingly drinking. They were still occasionally glancing at them. "Yes, probably," he said, and slid off the chair. "Uhm. See you tomorrow, I guess."

"Have fun tonight," Roy said, and Ed walked away. The weight of what just happened dawning on him as he walked back towards his brother's party, an uncontrollable smile smeared on his face.

* * *

"You know? I was never really the sort of person who enjoys weddings. But I think Winry's really good at this. Not too loud. Classy."

Ed smiled, and turned, leaning his back against the decorated banister they were standing next to so he could face Roy. "Actually, Al was in charge of the arrangements. Winry's only good at planning automail. Let her decorate a wedding and instead of flowers you'd have artificial limbs on the tables."

Roy chuckled and tore his eyes from the view. It was actually a beautiful venue. Small, fitting for a countryside place. They could see the mountains from the little balcony, the closed door behind them giving them a sense of privacy – and blocking the noise from the inside. He looked at his boyfriend instead. It tasted weird, that word. But Roy enjoyed it. It was the first time he was actually seeing himself dating someone – rather than merely having a night one stand with them – in a while. He'd never thought that if he'd get into a relationship again it will be with Edward Elric, but he wasn't complaining. He was surprised to see him at that bar a month ago, when he was just moved to Eastern HQ, especially considering the very special way the blond decided to start a conversation with him, but he found, even that evening, that he was glad it happened. Edward had really grown into a handsome young man, as he'd told him that night. Having much more life experience than his twenty four years, Roy didn't feel like the fourteen years difference in their age was an obstacle. He didn't really think it would work, back when he asked him out, but surprisingly enough, it worked out just fine, and here they were, at Alphonse and Winry's wedding.

"I am sure you're underestimating her. She will find a way to use the automail parts for the dishes as well."

"Hmm. I don't think so. She'd be scared something might be lost. She loves it too much."

"Yeah. You're probably right." The view from the veranda was beautiful, but not as much as the young man standing in front of him. Edward was gorgeous – to say the least – even in his everyday clothes. In a tuxedo he was nearly irresistible. He stepped closer, rising his hand to remove a stray hair from Edward's face before he closed the distance and placed a kiss on his lips. "You're beautiful," he said, and he could feel the younger man's lips stretching into a smile under his own.

"Not too bad yourself," was the reply. "Kinda makes me wanna take that stupid tux off of you and – "

"Oh, here you are!" The sudden sound of music as the door opened, closely followed by Winry's voice, made both of them tear their eyes away from each other. The moment she realized how closely they were standing, she rolled her eyes at them. "Really? Now? You're missing the main course! You'll have plenty of time to smooch each other afterwards. Come on!"

Roy took a step back, moving his hand back to the side of his body. Edward pushed himself away from the banister. Roy could see the light pinkish hue in his cheeks, probably from the embarrassment of getting caught in an intimate moment. Roy thought that was adorable.

"Fine, we're coming," Edward said.

"You'd better be! You have no idea how many dishes I had to taste before Al and I chose this one. Some of them were really disgusting! _And_ it took really long time. I barely had any time for my shop during the last two weeks. Do you realize what a _nightmare_ that is?"

Roy could see Edward glancing at him, as if asking for help. All Roy could do was smile encouragingly at him. "Sure it must have been terrible."

"It was! Well, I have to go back inside, but if you two don't go and take your seat I swear I'm going to go home and find a wrench to throw at both of you," Winry pointed a threatening finger at the both of them, giving them a warning glare before she disappeared. Roy had to admit, even in a pure white wedding dress the woman was scary. Almost as bad as his assistant, Hawkeye.

"Well, 'sppose it's better we get inside," Ed said, accompanying his words with a shrug.

"Mhm. But I kind of liked the train of thought you were starting before." Roy smirked, walking towards the still open door. Edward was walking right beside him.

"Oh, about getting you out of this tux?"

"Exactly. That one."

"Oh, don't worry. Winry perhaps is going to terrorise us while we're here, but in a few hours it will be over, we could go to my place and I'm really going to rip this thing off you."

Roy's smirk broadened. "I already can't wait."


End file.
